Avs Game 11 Grades: Boring Dub

Andre Burakovsky – D

Outside of some good defensive plays by Saad, the second line, the only line that stuck together from last game, was a non-factor overall. Burakovsky had some tough moments with the puck and overall just didn’t do much.

Bowen Byram – C-

Byram got bailed out pretty hard by Saad backchecking and lifting Bjugstad’s stick in the first period after a turnover along the boards. To date, I have not been impressed by Byram on the powerplay, but I know that’s something he’s excelled at in juniors, so not too worried about it.

J.T. Compher – D

Great job standing up for his teammate Makar after a questionable hit in the corner. That was about the extent of his success on the evening. The top line didn’t do much of anything, but he wasn’t the only player who struggled on that line. Will be interesting to see if that changes next game because everything about his offensive game is just off right now. Rough turnover on a breakout in the second that required a huge stop from Grubi.

Joonas Donskoi – B

One of the few dangerous players for the Avs on the evening. A great play off the face-off to create the game-winning goal. Much like last year, he seems to just be picking up points at will early in the year, and I actually think he looks okay on the penalty kill.

Sheldon Dries – C

I think we’ve all seen that when in the lineup too long, the kinks start to show, but for the night, he played with a lot of energy and looked fine in very limited minutes. Took a penalty but also managed to draw one.

Samuel Girard – A

Played a whole five more minutes than anyone else at even strength, and had far and away the best shot metrics on the defense. Right now, he and Makar are holding up a defense that is wildly inconsistent beyond that. Wore the “A” for the first time in his career as well.

Ryan Graves – C-

Considering the amount of defensemen missing from the lineup, I’ll take Graves contributing well on the penalty kill like he did tonight. I still am not a fan of his game at even strength, but he was good for the most part on the PK. He got a little lost on the goal after a long shift, but beyond that, blocked a ton of shots.

Philipp Grubauer – A

Wrap this man in bubble wrap because the Avs season kind of depends on him right now. He’s not having to make difficult stops, but when he does have to see some tough scoring chances, he’s been up to the task, including the breakaway in the third. His rebound control has been impressive this year.

Tyson Jost – B

Not much offense coming from him, but he’s a monster on the penalty kill and has been great defensively. Bednar said in the postgame he was double and triple shifting him late because of how well he was playing. Too bad he couldn’t bury one into the empty net to get going.

Nazem Kadri – D

Bednar didn’t like his game, and I wasn’t much of a fan either. A lot shot attempt evening for Kadri is never a good one, as he thrives when he’s shooting the puck with volume.

Gabriel Landeskog – D-

The amount of turnovers from Landeskog the last two games has just been way too high. Normally tough to knock off the puck, that just hasn’t been the case, and without MacKinnon, they need him to be a lot better.

Jacob MacDonald – B

Sure was noticeable when he got out there, because of his willingness to jump into the play. Had a tough pass in the first trying to create something at the offensive blue line, but beyond that played quite well and was used a good bit late.

Cale Makar – A

Another night, two more broken ankles for the Wild, this time for Ryan Hartman. He was the Avs engine on offense and is logging really heavy minutes, so hopefully he’s able to keep the energy up. The points are just following him out there and he’s been quite good on the penalty kill.

Valeri Nichushkin – B

It’s not often he puts a ton of shots towards the net, but he had some good chances, and it’s no surprise that his goal comes from half a foot in front of the crease. He wasn’t able to break up the pass on the only Wild goal, but that was some lost coverage by the defense and not sure why Nuke was the only guy in front of the net.

Logan O’Connor – B-

The goal was super flukey, but hey, you take them any way you can get them. Not a fan of the penalty, but I know he was just trying to get in on the forecheck. Think his game was a little rough around the edges after the first period but the hustle is always there.

Mikko Rantanen – B+

Outside of Makar, he was the one trying to create the most and seemed more willing to shoot, knowing that MacKinnon is not there. Loved his power move in the second that nearly resulted in a goal.

Brandon Saad – C+

Not a ton there offensively, but some great work defensively, highlighted by the stick lift in the first period that I already mentioned. He at least did have a nice rush up the ice in the third period where he almost blew by all the defenders.

Kiefer Sherwood – B-

Nice work on the opening goal of the game, but after that he just went about his business quietly and did pretty well. Only member of that fourth line to not take a penalty

Conor Timmins – D

I have to be honest and say that I come away underwhelmed by him most nights. There seems to be a good bit of panic in his game against the forecheck, and the Wild were hitting him hard right away, including some big hits on the first shift. He’s been really up and down through, and outside of the second game where everyone looked good against the Blues, he’s not put together 60 minutes.